GAINSWave® Treatment In York, SC

Andrew Lazenby is now asking people to help other organizations working to ensure sacred spaces like the one he found are not forgotten.

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — There has been an outpour of support for a York County man who discovered 144 slave gravesites in his backyard.

WCNC Charlotte brought you this story just a few weeks ago. Andrew Lazenby said he’s been paying out of pocket to restore the area and turn it into a formal cemetery to honor those buried there.

Since then, people from around the world have reached out to try to help.

“Before the first showing was off the air, we were receiving emails -- since then, I’ve received dozens and dozens, some as far away as China. I expected a couple emails, not what I’ve received,” Lazenby shared. “Overwhelming is not the right word, it was more uplifting to see how many people are interested and were positive about what we’re doing."

For two years, Lazenby and his wife have dedicated themselves to restoring the sacred space they discovered in their own backyard. With care, they have uncovered history - hiring archaeologists, placing headstones, and researching the stories of those laid to rest.

Now their work is nearly complete.

“We still have the gates to construct and install but mostly, we’re maintaining. Just keeping it clean, keeping it clear of debris,” Lazenby said.

Because of this, he’s redirecting donations.

“As far as accepting money, we don’t need to at this point. But there are lots of organizations out there that are doing good work,” he shared.

Instead, he points to foundations like Black Cemetery Network, which works to ensure sites like this one are never lost again.

In hopes to honor more lives and ensure the stories of the past are never forgotten.

To donate to the organization, you can click here.

Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

You can stream WCNC Charlotte on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, just download the free WCNC+ app to get the news that impacts you.

York County could start charging people in Rock Hill, Fort Mill and other municipalities a recreation tax while also slashing money to fund municipal recreation departments.

Recreation tax changes are part of ongoing discussion as county staff and elected officials form a budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. The county has a 1.5-mil recreation tax it only charges residents in unincorporated areas.

That’s $6 per year for every $100,000 in home value, or about $23 for the median York County home valued at $383,600 based on U.S. Census Bureau data. The county then sends revenue from the tax to city and town recreation programs.

That all could change.

“It would be my opinion to use this funding to fix our department and fund our parks, and do away with this altogether going to the municipalities,” York County Councilman Andy Litten said at a Jan. 28 health and environmental subcommittee meeting.

Three of seven council members sit on the subcommittee Litten chairs, including Councilwoman Debi Cloninger and Councilman Watts Huckabee. That group will form a recommendation on several recreation funding items ahead of the county manager’s budget recommendation in mid-April.

“This is so politically charged,” Cloninger said. “I think this is something that the entire council needs to talk about.”

For decades, York County officials said they didn’t want to be in the parks and recreation business.

Yet they understood people living outside of cities and towns use parks and youth sports programs near them. So the county sent money to its municipalities.

The county started a recreation tax in 2005, and updated it three years ago, that it only charges residents in unincorporated areas. The tax generates nearly $1.7 million per year. This budget year, due to reserve funding, the county allocated nearly $1.9 million.

Amounts were largely based on population of unincorporated areas near the municipalities.

Rock Hill got the most money at $479,000 while Fort Mill and Tega Cay split their share, getting about $245,000 each. Clover ($221,000) and York ($212,000) got smaller amounts. Hickory Grove, McConnells, Sharon and Smyrna each got about $13,000.

Lake Wylie isn’t incorporated, so the county sent $404,000 to that area’s main youth sports organization, Lake Wylie Athletic Association.

Unlike when the tax began, York County now has a growing parks department.

There’s Field Day Park with athletic fields in Lake Wylie. Allison Creek Park on Lake Wylie expanded and Ebenezer Park in Rock Hill has undergone significant renovation. The county continues work toward opening the massive Catawba Bend Preserve in the fall near Rock Hill.

This year’s overall county budget brought $1.3 million in reserves over for parks and recreation. The capital projects budget shows $6.1 million for Catawba Bend and $2.3 million for Ebenezer Park. Park staff will grow from 25 to 35 employees this year, highlighting a funding need for operations.

“We’ve got a lot of land that isn’t open right now,” said County Manager Josh Edwards. “We also have parks that all residents of the county utilize.”

In recent years, municipal leaders have requested more money from York County as its population surges. Recreation leaders told the county council it would cost youth sports participants more to play without the funding, or that other recreation programs could suffer.

Six years ago, when county recreation funding was about half of what it is today, most of the nine mayors of York County municipalities jointly approached the county council to ask for more money. They said they were overrun with service needs from people living in unincorporated areas.

Rock Hill has been in discussion with York County about the possibility of diverting recreation funds, said deputy city manager Jimmy Bagley. The city will work with the county to offer a clear picture of how many people using its programs do and don’t live inside city limits, he said.

A funding loss could impact youth sports but also senior adult learning, art programs, dance classes and therapeutic recreation.

“We’ll examine programming options in more detail and present recommendations to City Council if changes become necessary,” Bagley said.

Fort Mill is aware of the county discussion and continually assesses the programs it offers, said Town Manager Cary Vargo.

“We are compiling participation data and will share with York County so they have a detailed understanding of the services provided by the Town of Fort Mill to their residents,” Vargo said.

Scott Couchenour, a Fort Mill resident who served on an advisory committee for area parks, asked York County Council on Monday to increase funding for municipal recreation departments. Buying land for more county parks, he said, may not be a fit for high-growth areas like Fort Mill and Tega Cay.

“Our part of York County, I think we’re under consensus that you’re not going to be able to buy land over there,” Couchenour said.

If the county decides to cut off recreation funding to cities and towns, Litten sees no need to wait. He proposes putting the money toward county projects this coming budget year.

“I’ve read through the paperwork (on how the tax works) before,” he said. “It doesn’t seem extremely detailed. It’s not a well-thought out allocation.”

Huckabee has hesitation with such a quick change. Cities and towns are working through their budgets right now, he said, just like the county is.

“That’s a lot of money for the parks and rec departments around the county to have to find in their budgets,” Huckabee said.

If the county switches to a model that uses the recreation tax for countywide facilities, a logical question follows.

“If all county residents are using the parks,” Edwards said, “why are only unincorporated residents paying this (tax)?”

County staff and a Clemson University consultant both recommend funding the growing county recreation department before any municipal ones, Edwards said. If the county charged the same rate across the county that it does for unincorporated areas now, the move would generate about $3 million per year.

“To me,” Huckabee said, “I believe we do need a countywide tax.”

Again, details on the timing of that type of change aren’t known yet.

The county could decide to leave the setup as is. Or it could continue to fund municipal programs through capital projects, scholarships for league participants who need them or flat-rate reimbursement per player, Litten said.

The health and environmental subcommittee hasn’t posted its next meeting date, although members discussed meeting at least once more ahead of Edwards recommending a budget in April. York County Council has two workshops planned before April, with the next coming Feb. 11. No agenda is posted.

The Herald

803-329-4076

John Marks graduated from Furman University in 2004 and joined the Herald in 2005. He covers community growth, municipalities, transportation and education mainly in York County and Lancaster County. The Fort Mill native earned dozens of South Carolina Press Association awards and multiple McClatchy President’s Awards for news coverage in Fort Mill and Lake Wylie.

York School District Superintendent Kelly Coxe will retire at the end of the school year. The move leaves three of York County’s four public school districts in need of a new superintendent.

Coxe sent a letter Wednesday informing the district of her decision. She called the move difficult, but one that’s in both her and the school district’s best interests.

“As with every season, there comes a time for change,” Coxe wrote. “I feel that now is the right moment to step aside and embrace the next chapter of my life.”

Late last month, Rock Hill School District Superintendent Tommy Schmolze announced his plan to retire. Days later, Fort Mill School District Superintendent Chuck Epps announced his retirement this summer.

The school board in York will call a special meeting for Feb. 24 to discuss hiring a firm to help look for a new superintendent.

Coxe took over the top York job in 2019. Her time included the shift to virtual learning during the COVID pandemic, improved state rankings for school performance and new projects like a planned agritourism arena.

Coxe believes her assignment in 2019 was to develop a vision for the district, she wrote.

“I believe we have successfully met that charge,” she wrote. “Over the past six years, our district has evolved into a true learning organization.”

Coxe takes pride in the district’s resilience during the pandemic and in the community’s support last fall when a $90 million bond referendum passed. Bond money will pay for a new middle school and the conversion of an existing building to an early childhood education center.

Schools have improved in recent years even as the city of York has begun to feel some of the growth pressures districts like Fort Mill and Clover have seen for decades.

York’s population increased by 7.7% between 2020 and 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In its most recent state report cards, the York district didn’t have any school listed as unsatisfactory or below average. Every school received an excellent, good or average rating, led by Hunter Street and Jefferson elementary schools at excellent.

Some of the biggest road construction projects in York County will wrap up within months as crews set out to start on more than $400 million of new work.

Pennies for Progress is the 1-cent sales tax used for road construction. Voters get a new project list every seven years on a referendum ballot needed to continue the tax. Pennies has been in place since voters first opted for it, narrowly, in 1997. In November, York County voters passed the fifth Pennies campaign for $410.7 million.

Patrick Hamilton, Pennies program director, offered an update on when drivers can expect several ongoing projects to be finished, and when new ones will start.

Some of the larger projects nearing completion include:

▪ S.C. 160 East in Fort Mill, bordering Lancaster County, is being widened to three lanes from Springfield Parkway to the county line. Construction is waiting on warmer weather. The $11.8 million project should be completed this summer.

▪ Riverview Road in Rock Hill has curbs and sidewalks installed almost to Cherry Road. On the other side of Cherry, installation of curbs and sidewalk should start in February. The project should be complete this year. The $25.2 million job will widen Riverview from Eden Terrace to Celanese Road.

▪ U.S. 21 and S.C. 51 clearing is complete in Fort Mill, near Carowinds. Utilities are being relocated. The county broke the project into two sections, with the first clearing the property so utilities could be moved. That work should be done this year, and a separate contract will go out this year for the road construction. The overall $85 million project will widen the two highways from Springfield Parkway to the North Carolina state line.

▪ S.C. 557 in Lake Wylie will become five lanes from Kingsburry Road to S.C. 49, with a new alignment and bridge. Crews should pour the bridge deck in February or March as storm drains and utilities are being installed. The $60.1 million project should be finished next year.

The project is attached to a three-lane S.C. 557 widening from S.C. 55 to Kingsburry. That $48.6 million project should be done in 2028.

▪ S.C. 72 will be widened to five lanes in some areas and three lanes in others. Rawlsville Road will be realigned as part of the Rock Hill project. Utilities are being relocated now. The $40.8 million project will widen S.C. 72 from S.C. 901 to Rambo Road. It should be finished next year.

Hamilton is finalizing agreements now with the South Carolina Department of Transportation on resurfacing work from the November referendum. Of the more than $400 million in road projects, $80 million goes to repaving almost 80 miles of roadway countywide.

Those projects should go out for construction bids this spring, which would put road crews to work this summer, Hamilton said.

The work will start early due to a $20 million loan approved last week by York County Council. Pennies will pay it back from the tax revenue approved by voters. Collections don’t start until May and state government won’t cut the first check until the fall.

“We won’t get our first revenue check until probably late October, so that loan allows us to not have to wait a year to get any work done,” Hamilton said.

The county took a similar approach after the Pennies referendum in 2017. Until the COVID pandemic spiked construction costs, projects were coming in faster and at lower costs compared to budget of any Pennies campaign so far.

Last week’s loan comes from county reserve funding.

“It saves taxpayers a tremendous amount,” said York County Councilwoman Christi Cox.

Hamilton has approval from County Council to start on contracts for all Pennies 5 jobs. He’s negotiating scope and fees for them. Plenty of variables will determine which large projects make it to construction first.

“Size of the project, cash flow, where it is in the priority — we’ll have to evaluate all of those things,” Hamilton said. “But we at least want to start the design now.”

The large projects under construction now were approved by voters in 2011 or 2017. Pennies 5 projects are likely to take years, too. Of the more than $400 million campaign, more than half — $225 million — will go toward carryover projects that weren’t completed due to COVID cost increases.

Statewide, nine counties put a capital sales tax campaign on the ballot in November. Voters turned down five of them. York County, whose Pennies program was the first of its kind in South Carolina back in 1997, had the highest voter approval rate last fall at 71%.

For a full list of resurfacing and larger road projects, visit penniesforprogress.net.

This story was originally published January 27, 2025 at 11:46 AM.

The Herald

803-329-4076

John Marks graduated from Furman University in 2004 and joined the Herald in 2005. He covers community growth, municipalities, transportation and education mainly in York County and Lancaster County. The Fort Mill native earned dozens of South Carolina Press Association awards and multiple McClatchy President’s Awards for news coverage in Fort Mill and Lake Wylie.

Some of the biggest road construction projects in York County will wrap up within months as crews set out to start on more than $400 million of new work.

Pennies for Progress is the 1-cent sales tax used for road construction. Voters get a new project list every seven years on a referendum ballot needed to continue the tax. Pennies has been in place since voters first opted for it, narrowly, in 1997. In November, York County voters passed the fifth Pennies campaign for $410.7 million.

Patrick Hamilton, Pennies program director, offered an update on when drivers can expect several ongoing projects to be finished, and when new ones will start.

Some of the larger projects nearing completion include:

▪ S.C. 160 East in Fort Mill, bordering Lancaster County, is being widened to three lanes from Springfield Parkway to the county line. Construction is waiting on warmer weather. The $11.8 million project should be completed this summer.

▪ Riverview Road in Rock Hill has curbs and sidewalks installed almost to Cherry Road. On the other side of Cherry, installation of curbs and sidewalk should start in February. The project should be complete this year. The $25.2 million job will widen Riverview from Eden Terrace to Celanese Road.

▪ U.S. 21 and S.C. 51 clearing is complete in Fort Mill, near Carowinds. Utilities are being relocated. The county broke the project into two sections, with the first clearing the property so utilities could be moved. That work should be done this year, and a separate contract will go out this year for the road construction. The overall $85 million project will widen the two highways from Springfield Parkway to the North Carolina state line.

▪ S.C. 557 in Lake Wylie will become five lanes from Kingsburry Road to S.C. 49, with a new alignment and bridge. Crews should pour the bridge deck in February or March as storm drains and utilities are being installed. The $60.1 million project should be finished next year.

The project is attached to a three-lane S.C. 557 widening from S.C. 55 to Kingsburry. That $48.6 million project should be done in 2028.

▪ S.C. 72 will be widened to five lanes in some areas and three lanes in others. Rawlsville Road will be realigned as part of the Rock Hill project. Utilities are being relocated now. The $40.8 million project will widen S.C. 72 from S.C. 901 to Rambo Road. It should be finished next year.

Hamilton is finalizing agreements now with the South Carolina Department of Transportation on resurfacing work from the November referendum. Of the more than $400 million in road projects, $80 million goes to repaving almost 80 miles of roadway countywide.

Those projects should go out for construction bids this spring, which would put road crews to work this summer, Hamilton said.

The work will start early due to a $20 million loan approved last week by York County Council. Pennies will pay it back from the tax revenue approved by voters. Collections don’t start until May and state government won’t cut the first check until the fall.

“We won’t get our first revenue check until probably late October, so that loan allows us to not have to wait a year to get any work done,” Hamilton said.

The county took a similar approach after the Pennies referendum in 2017. Until the COVID pandemic spiked construction costs, projects were coming in faster and at lower costs compared to budget of any Pennies campaign so far.

Last week’s loan comes from county reserve funding.

“It saves taxpayers a tremendous amount,” said York County Councilwoman Christi Cox.

Hamilton has approval from County Council to start on contracts for all Pennies 5 jobs. He’s negotiating scope and fees for them. Plenty of variables will determine which large projects make it to construction first.

“Size of the project, cash flow, where it is in the priority — we’ll have to evaluate all of those things,” Hamilton said. “But we at least want to start the design now.”

The large projects under construction now were approved by voters in 2011 or 2017. Pennies 5 projects are likely to take years, too. Of the more than $400 million campaign, more than half — $225 million — will go toward carryover projects that weren’t completed due to COVID cost increases.

Statewide, nine counties put a capital sales tax campaign on the ballot in November. Voters turned down five of them. York County, whose Pennies program was the first of its kind in South Carolina back in 1997, had the highest voter approval rate last fall at 71%.

For a full list of resurfacing and larger road projects, visit penniesforprogress.net.

The Herald

803-329-4076

John Marks graduated from Furman University in 2004 and joined the Herald in 2005. He covers community growth, municipalities, transportation and education mainly in York County and Lancaster County. The Fort Mill native earned dozens of South Carolina Press Association awards and multiple McClatchy President’s Awards for news coverage in Fort Mill and Lake Wylie.